Non-sinkable life-boat.



Patented Mar. 4

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. D. BERNSXEIN. NoN-SINKABLE UFE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ. |918.

Jul \u5 DBevnsem J. D. BERNSTEIN.

NoN-slNKABLE LIFE BOAT.

vAPPLLCATION FJLED AUG.7. Y1918.

Patented Mar. 4,1%).

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JULIUS D. IBERN'STEIN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

NON-SINKABLE LIFE-BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4,' 1919.

Application led August 7, 1918. Serial No. 248,792.

new and useful Improvements in lion-Sinkable Life-Boats, specification.

.This invention relates to non-sinkable metallic boats and consists in the construcof which the following is a -tion .andcombination of parts hereinafter more partg'cularly set forth and claimed. In the ccompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top planview of a boat embodying my invention, with the top and side covers folded open; i

Fig. 2, a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

v F ig. 3, a detail transverse sectional view on line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, a side elevation of my invention with the top and side cover closed; f

Fig. 5, a detail transverse sectional view through a part of one side of the boat arranged as in Fig. 4, showing the construction of the bracing tubing, the stationary tubing and the guide rings;

Fig. 6', van enlarged view on line 6-6 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 7, a detail sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 1;

Fig-8, a detail plan view of one of the drums 35' and proximate parts; and

Fig. 9, a detail plan View of one of the Vtoilet seats and its cover, with proximate parts, the casing being in-section.

Referring now in detail to the drawmgs, the double hull of the boat is composed of lan outer hull A and an inner hull B, leaving a spacel between them, the hull A being of relatively thin aluminum, l preferably formed of one piece or sheet of metal stamped out, in the form shown to provide two longitudinal compartments 1 divided by a broad 'flat-topped central longitudinal inverted trough or hollow rib or partition 2 to brace the boat longitudinally and also to. receive between its two walls a paddlewheel 3 (Fig. 1) operated by cranks 4 connected to shaft 5, which passes through suitable stuiiing boxes 6 in the walls of said trough 2 and to which the paddle wheel 3 is keyed, the shaft 5 being so positioned that the paddle wheel 3 will operate on the water in said trough to propel theboat.

Mounted on the top of the said inverted trough 2 are two toilet closets, one of said closets facing, and entered from, each com partment 1, and both of said closets being located at a distance from the paddle Wheel. The casing of said closets, side walls 7 and top thereof, is in one piece of very thin aluminum, stamped to the shape desired. Said walls are soldered along their bottom edges to the top of inverted trough 2. The top of the casing is integral with one of said side walls 7, but soldered to the edges of the other side walls thereof.`

The door S is to swing vertically` by means of hooks 9 passing around a rod 10 in the top of the closet and is held closed by means of a catch 11.

Each closet is provided with the usual seat and bowl which discharges through a pipe 12EL (Fig. 3) extending down through the top of the trough or rib 2 between the walls thereof into the water.

'Horizontal brace plates 13 soldered at each end portion to the lower face of the respective compartments and extending across the trough 2 at numerous intervals brace the boat transversely. One of these plates is illustrated in Fig. 7. Said plates 13 hold in shape and place the open lower end of the hollow partition 2, preventing the edges of its walls from bending inward or outward. Upright brace bars 14, U-form in plan (Figs. 1 and 8) are attached to the inner hull B (Fig. 2) and provide bearings (Fig. 8) for drums 35 hereinafter described. There are two pairsof these brace bars 1l, respectively near the bow and stern of the boat, all of the said bars being within it, but not between the hulls. Spacing and bracing bars 15 are fixed between the two hulls, dividing the intervening space intoWater-tight compartments, beside strongly bracing the said hulls and especially the inner hull B. The inner hull B is of very thin aluminum, only about half as thick as hull A and is soldered to the top and edges of these bracing bars 15. The water-tight compartments thus formed by said bars l5 between the two hulls insure that it' a leak should occur it including the 1 would flood only a very small compartment instead of fioodlng the whole space between the walls of the hulls. It will be observed that the ribs 15 have three functions, brac- 5 ing the hulls, spacing the hulls and dividing the intervening space into water-tight compartments. i y

Also, at the rear portion of the trough or rib 2 the rudder post 16, providedwith rudin a bearing block 17 soldered to the upper face of the rear brace plate 13 and has its upper portion journaled in a bearingl rojecting throughthe up er wall on top o the inverted trough 2. n the upper end 1s mounted an arm, 18 to steer by, said arm being connected bya pair of steering ro es 18' Fig. 1 to a steerm device 19 near the w of the boat. Aft of t is device a seat 20 for the steersman to sit on, is soldered along its lower edges to the top of the trough or rib 2 so as to be watertight at the bottom, also its sides are watertight, it being formed of one piece of aluminum and having its end ortions soldered together up the one side o the seat where they overlap. Said seat is provided with a removable top so as to give access from the top to the interior of said seat, and food and water for a reasonable time for one person may be inserted through the opening left on removal of said top.

Also, around the walls of each compartment 1, except adjacent the path of the cranks 4 on the inside wall of. each compartment, a series of aluminum seats 23 are arranged. These are preferably arranged in series, divided'ofl' from each other by aluminum partitions. The bottom edges of the front and side walls of said seats are soldered tothe upper face of. the bot-tom of hull B, the outer sides of the ends being soldered to the walls of hull B, and the top being provided with preferably circula-r open ings, the walls of which are screw-threaded, giving access to the interior of said seats between each respective two partitions. This top is soldered to the tops of said partitions, the top of the front and sides and to the side wall of hull B, thus giving a series of seats 50 forming in their interior watertight compertinents for the reception of cans to store food and water for the occupant of each seat. respectively. Each o ning in the top is adapted to removab y receive a screwthreaded closure or cover, which may be provided with a sunken bail or other means giving a grip to turn said cover.

Two ballast tanks 24 (Fig. 6) are located at the rear, one in each compartment 1, between the floors of the hulls A and B and are adapted to be filled with sca-water through a pipe 25 provided with a control valve 26 and extending through the adjacent.

side wall of trough o1' rib 2 below the water 65 imc.

der 22, is mounted, its lower end being seated Located in each tank is a flexible air tight,

referably rubber, bag 27, adapted lto be inated through valve 28 by means of an air pump 29, and of such size that, when inflated, it will completely occupy the interior of its tank.

In case of a rough sea, the ballast tanks may be wholly or partiallyx filled with water` as necessary, by turning t e valves 2G in the correct direction, andv their weight, when thus filled, will steady the boat, guarding the occupants against-#mal de merc. Ilowever, when the boat is to Ibe lifted on a ship it should be as li ht as possible and for this reason, before lbeing hoisted in the davits, the tanks 24 should be emptied of water, this being accomplished by opening the valves 26 and operatin the air pumps 29 to infiatc the bags 27 an thus expel the water from the tanks 24 throu h the pipes 25.

To further stabilize the boat. and to guard against sinking or capsizing, I provide two long pontoons 30 arranged to normally lie one on each side of the boat on the watery);

surface. 'Each pontoon is made of cork and is pivotally connected to the ends of the boat by means of a pair of arms 31, pivotally mounted on the ends Vof the boat as at 32, each pair of arms 31 being connected to the respective ends of a rod 33 passing through the respective pontoons. Chains 3i connected to the outside of the boat and passed over their respective pontoons 30 and wound on their res ective drums 35 keyed on a. sha ft' 36, operat by a slidable handle bar 37 and heldA against reverse movement by a awl 38 enraging ratchet 39 hold each of sait chains tigtlit, holding said pontoons firmly in normal position.

When the boat is to be carried on a ship the chains 24 are released, freeing the pouf toons 30,' which are thenturned, by means of their pivoted arm connection, up over the top of the boat, where they will not take up so much room transversely and will be less liable to be damaged. A frame 40 preferably of tubular aluminum is soldered to the top of the composite hull as a frame for the top and side covers. The side cover 41 is preferably formed of a continuous strip of waterproof material provided with windows of flexible transparent material, and fastened along its lower edge to the top edge of the hull oi the boat 'by means of a stripping 42seeured thereto in any suitable manner asby rivets or screws 43.

The top edge of side cover 41 is secured to a tubular aluminum former or brace rod 4'5 to which hoisting and lowering ropes 52 are connuftcd, running from said rod to a pulley block ti connected to the frame 40. This rfc-rciil also provided with guide rings 4T (Fig. 3i scwed thereto and encircling the respective uprgim.: et' the frame 40 to hold 

